Are you looking for something DIFFERENT to do for you holiday entertaining?
Here’s an idea I cooked up for Walmart when they asked me to write about a party idea this holiday season–A fondue party! This is a fun idea for Christmas, New Years, or any time. I don’t know why, but when you cut things up and dip them in cheese or chocolate, you just have a party no matter what!
I decided for this party to make 3 different kinds of fondue–a classic cheese, a chocolate and then a fun pizza dip (recipes below). They were all made by warming the ingredients in the microwave (although a double boiler would have worked just as well) and then transfering them into my “Triple Dipper” Crockpot for the party. I received mine last year as an item to test, but Walmart still sells the Triple Dipper Crockpot with Lazy Susan, as well as the Crockpot Little Triple Dipper, the Crockpot Double Dipper, a Faberware 3 crock pot, and the Little Dipper. And if you want to go old school they have several different fondue pots.
Did you notice the “Glitzy Napkin Rings” on the table that I taught you all how to make quickly and easily earlier this week? They look great when combined with red napkins, white plates and gold chargers (which I picked up last year after the holidays on clearance at Walmart). The cute red, green and white picks we used for dipping were from the seasonal aisle at Walmart–a big package cost $.97 
What do you dip when you have a fondue party? Well the classic is of course bread–I picked up a loaf of Marketside Italian bread and some sliced pumpernickel and cut them into cubes. To add some color to the platters and a bit of health and crunch to the party I used sliced red pepper, green pepper and broccoli. For the chocolate I selected large marshmallows, clementines, seedless grapes and fresh pineapple. Cubed pound cake or angel food cake would also be fantastic, as well as any kind of cookie that would taste good slathered in chocolate.
I invited several friends over to enjoy the fondue, conversation and a bit of laughter when we dripped fondue on the table! My friends just love that I’m a blogger–they get invited to do all sorts of weird things like have fondue at noon on a Friday so I can take pictures :) The whole thing was delicious and fun, and because the “cooking” was done in the microwave it really wasn’t much work. I think I spent more time setting the table then I did whipping up the fondue and slicing the bread. I’ll definitely be doing this again–maybe for New Years!
Ingredients
- 5-6 oz Gruyer Cheese
- 4 oz Swiss
- 1 TS Cornstarch
- 1/2 C Dry White Wine
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Pepper
Instructions
- Shred Swiss and Gruyer cheeses.
- In a microwave safe bowl, combine cheeses, cornstarch and wine.
- Microwave in short bursts (1 min at a time), stirring in between, until all the cheese is melted and combined with the wine.
- Stir in garlic powder and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to fondue pot or a "dip" slow cooker and serve with bread cubes, crackers, pretzels or vegetables for dipping.
Ingredients
- 8 oz shredded Pizza Cheese
- 1 15oz can spaghetti sauce
- 2 TBS Cornstarch
- 1/2 C Red Wine
- 1-2 tsp Italian Seasoning (adjust depending on the spaghetti sauce you choose)
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl combine all ingredient and stir together.
- Microwave until cheese melts (2-3 minutes) and then stir well to combine.
- Transfer to a fondue pot or a "dip" crockpot and serve with bread cubes, crackers, pretzels or vegetables.
Ingredients
- 12 oz chocolate chips
- 1/2 C milk
- 2 TBS butter
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl combine chocolate chips, milk and butter.
- Microwave in very short bursts--30 sec to 1 min-- stirring in between until all the chips are melted and you have a smooth texture. Do not rush this process or you may ruin your chocolate and wind up with a grainy, nasty mess.
- Stir in vanilla extract and transfer to your fondue pot or "dip" crockpot. Use marshmallows, fruit, or cookies to dip.
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Disclosure: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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